Benjamin Dean Astronomy Lectures

Reconstructing Our Galactic Story with Stellar Sound

Mon Mar 3 at 7:30 pm - Planetarium
Artist rendering of stellar sound waves

NASA's K2 satellite has provided windows into the ages of stellar populations across the Milky Way (highlighted regions color-coded by typical age). This was enabled by observations of stellar sound waves (model illustration) and stellar chemical composition (inset). The background panoramic Milky Way view and inset were modified from ESA/Gaia/DPAC.

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Reconstructing Our Galactic Story with Stellar Sound
Monday, March 3, 7:30 p.m.
Morrison Planetarium

Featuring Dr. Joel C. Zinn, California State University - Long Beach

Why are we here? Although we may think we know our place in the Galaxy, the Sun was likely born far from where it resides today. In recent years, ESA’s space-based Gaia satellite and NASA’s K2, Kepler, and TESS missions have helped to uncover not only our own Sun’s history but that of our stellar neighbors. While the field of Galactic archaeology has uncovered some of the stories of our Galaxy, decades-old mysteries still remain about how the Galaxy formed and evolved—touching on larger, age-old questions of why life exists.

In this talk, we will explore how stellar sound waves are revealing the origins of the Milky Way and our place in it. From the Sun's home here in the Galaxy's disc to the graveyard of disintegrated galaxies surrounding us, we will tour through the halls of the Milky Way as seen by ESA and NASA missions. Along the way, we will retrace how generations of stars have set the stage for life here and elsewhere in the Galaxy. We will also preview how upcoming space-based missions may unearth secrets of the oldest regions of the Galaxy.

Headshot image of Dr. Jole Zinn

Dr. Joel C. Zinn is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at California State University, Long Beach, where his research focuses on studying stellar sound waves---asteroseismology---to explore the physics of red giant stars and the evolution of the Milky Way. Dr. Zinn's work has helped establish asteroseismology as a reliable tool for astrophysical investigations. He led the analysis for the K2 Galactic Archaeology Program, producing the largest asteroseismic catalog in the literature, and his ongoing research continues to use space-based data from missions like Kepler, TESS, and Gaia.

Dr. Zinn previously held an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History and completed a postdoctoral appointment at the University of New South Wales. His doctoral research at Ohio State University contributed to refining distance scales for stars using Gaia data. Since 2023, he has directed astronomy outreach efforts at CSULB, and launched a mobile planetarium initiative that brings astronomy to local schools. Dr. Zinn is also interested in the intersection of art and astronomy, having developed interdisciplinary theatre and dance curricula at the American Museum of Natural History.

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